'Open Carry' of guns - logical direction of gun lobby's campaign

I imagine most have seen some news coverage of two incidents in the last week of men carrying guns openly outside sites where President Obama was speaking. Monday, two men were seen carrying semiautomatic assault rifles outside the venue in Phoenix where the President was addressing the VFW. You can view a CNN report on the incident at http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/17/obama.protest.rifle/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

Some points need to be made about this craziness. First, it's crazy, indeed. Second, it's legal in many states (thankfully, not New Jersey). Third, such incidents are only the opening salvoes in a campaign to make open carrying of guns in public accepted behavior everywhere in our country. There's even an organization whose raison d'etre is promotion of open carry (see http://opencarry.org/). These are the shock troops of the gun lobby. And, they are not going away. We're going to see more of them and we'll be seeing increasing incidents of open carry, not just at big events for publicity, but at grocery stores, at concerts, on the street, in places of worship.

The most important point, though, is that such open carrying of guns is a logical step in the gun lobby's campaign to arm everyone everywhere. For, an armed society is one that will make the gun lobby's patrons in the gun industry rich.

Remember, the NRA and its colleagues are the same people who almost succeeded last month in gaining federal legislation to force our state to allow out-of-state holders of permits to carry concealed guns, including assault guns, to do so in New Jersey. And, these are the same people who support the carrying of concealed guns in bars and restaurants, even churches, and have opposed requiring all purchasers of guns to pass background checks.

Fact is - the gun lobby will stop at nothing to encourage gun sales. Nothing.

So, unless you, your friends, family members, neighbors, co-workers and etc. want the America desired by the gun lobby and portrayed effectively by its open carry shock troops, it's time to consider the consequences of allowing the NRA and its cohorts the sort of power they've accumulated in Washington. This is serious.

You can help stop the 'slippery slope (ironic, eh?)' toward open carrying of guns in public by, most importantly, finding out where candidates for public office stand on gun issues and voting accordingly. It's votes that count above all. Does a candidate seek to move toward safety for our homes, schools and communities by working for stronger gun laws? Or, does a candidate ape the NRA mantra of 'we just need to enforce the laws we have'? If you want to place obstacles in front of the gun lobby's open carry shock troops, you'll vote for the candidate who seeks stronger gun laws.

BTW: Ceasefire NJ will release the results of its '09 Gubernatorial Candidates' Questionnaire soon, which can provide you with critical information on the positions of the leading candidates on gun issues. Watch for it.

And, you can help the cause of safety by donating to organizations who oppose the craziness of open carry and play roles in electoral politics. If you live in New Jersey, you can contact Ceasefire NJ, the state's leading organization devoted to reducing gun violence at cfnj@aol.com. If you live elsewhere, you can contact a fine national organization that seeks the election of candidates who promote safety from gun violence, Gun Free Kids, at www.gunfreekids.org.